>> Friday, 26 September 2008

Mykael here, blogging Ell-Eye-Vee-Eee from Magicial Minneapolis USA where there ain't a recycle bin in sight, where that lovely magical potion we call alcohol is dirt cheap, and, oh, where Sigur Ros just blew the minds of everyone at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minny.

Opening act Parachutes were great and were sorta like the first born child of Sigur Ros and Mum, if they reproduced. In fact, the male singer had a Jonsi-ish falsetto wail while the female singer cooed childlsly like Mum's ex-lead singer Kristin.

I wound up buying their EP and 10" and can't wait to drop the needle on the latter.

Sigur Ros were, well, transcendent. While I didn't love the show as much as when I saw them in 2005, they were utterly intoxicating, playing a healthy mix of new material peppered with select tracks from Takk, (), and Agaetis Byrjun. I was particulary blown away by the spirited "Gobbledigook", which featured members of Parachutes pounding on drums, and "Ny Battery" off AB which is still resonating, even though the show ended almost three hours ago.

I am *so* glad I made the trip. AND I just discovered Hanson (yes, Hanson) is playing tomorrow night. Their show is currently on the "possibile, but highly unlikely" list for tomorrow.

>> Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Land of Talk - from Montreal - is at the Lo Pub on November 6th (thanks to my sis for the heads up).

Vancouver's The Awkward Stage are there on October 4th. I just discovered this show while walking home after buying Born Ruffians tix (@ The Pyramid) for the same night. Blerg! I really wanna see TAS too...

>> Monday, 22 September 2008

Earlier I successfully scored a triad of ninth row floor tix for Dylan's November 2nd show by using the presale password generously on display here. Each ticket worked out to be just over $90 after the extraordinary fees et al.If the ticket quota for that password is all used up by now, ANOTHER presale takes place Wednesday at 10, and I heard through the grapevine that OBOE and TIMES will work. No guarantees though.

>> Sunday, 21 September 2008

The iconic and irrepressible Bob Dylan will roll through town November 2nd for a show at the MTS Centre (thanks to Anonymous for the heads up).

According to his tourpage, the presale starts tomorrow at 10 (I don't have the password yet); however, if you follow the ticketmaster link, the event hasn't even been created so I suspect that date is incorrect. Public sale is slated for Friday.

>> Friday, 19 September 2008

Cadence Weapon is at the Lo Pub October 5th. I really hope I can make this.

Oh My Darling is at the Folk Exchange on November 21st.Romi Mayes is there a week earlier, on the 14th.Dismember is at the Albert on November 2nd w/ Augury, Psychotic Gardening, and Dissolution.Fembots rock the oh-so-happening Lo Pub on October 22nd.

Impaled is at the Albert on November 5th w/ Fuck The Facts, Putrescence, and Kursk.

>> Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Young and Sexy are also on the bill with The Neins Circa at the Lo Pub on October 16th. I'm still irked this is the same night as Neil Young / Death Cab. Blerg.The Acorn play the Lo Pub on October 8th.

>> Monday, 15 September 2008

For some reason that completely escapes me, I've had Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" in my brain for the better part of the day, and I'm desperately searching for an infectious musical remedy. So far, nothing but placebos.

So I'm gonna imbibe Mates of State latest, the catchy-as-hell Re-arrange , and if that's ineffective, take two aspirins and call it a night.

>> Saturday, 13 September 2008

Just got in from Novillero's cd release party at the Pyramid.

Novillero were their patented explosive and dynamic selves, easily overcoming the untimely departure of their now ex-bassist Grant Johnson (who quit two weeks ago!). Fortunately, the quick-learning Rejean Ricard - of the second opening act The Telepathic Butterflies - was able to fill in seamlessly, despite rehearsing a mere six times with the band.

The new tunes off A Little Tradition sounded great live and added a new dimension to the recording, which, I guess would be, what's the fourth dimension, time? Yeah, that seems accurate.

A few times throughout the show, Novillero were joined on stage by local songstress Keri Latimer (of Nathan fame who, for the second time in a week, has unwillingly appeared on my blog). Latimer showcased her sugary-sweet vocals on Novillero's new song "Daydreams & Distractions" while playing her spooky looking and spooky sounding theremin.

Oh and Novillero even hired a lively three piece horn section to flesh out their sound further. Keen attention to detail. I loved it.

It's always encouraging to see local acts share the stage with the headliner. After all, what's wrong with a little musical solidarity?

>> Thursday, 11 September 2008

Shows, shows everywhere with lots of booze to drink:

MSTRKRFT is at the Exchange Events Centre on October 4 w/ Felix Cartel and Dougie B. Tix $25 @ Urban Bakery and Urban Boutique. The EEC, if you're unfamiliar, is the Old Old Spaghetti Factory (thanks to Nick for apprising me of this).Kerri Woelke is having her cd release party at The Park Theatre on September 21st. Tix $10 in advance.

DJ Jazzy Jeff pays his annual visit to our town, spinning records at The Pyramid on October 24th.

>> Tuesday, 9 September 2008

A couple days back an enlightening article appeared on the CBC that published the findings of a Scottish University's study aimed at unearthing the link between musical taste and personality.

And I have some bad news: indie music fans did not fare well. At all.

Apparently we lack both self-esteem and a steady work ethic.

Now I used the collective pronoun back there because I assumed you're an indie music fan; if you're not, well, according to this study that's for the better. But fortunately, there's a musical genre remedy for anyone ailing from low self-esteem - which I don't think I am, pretty sure anyways - and that is embracing whimsical Jazz since, "Jazz fans tend to be creative and outgoing, with high self-esteem."

As for the poor work ethic, that's irrefutable: a prudent, hard-working person would certainly be reading a novel at this moment (that must be read for Thursday), instead of blogging.

But I can always blame its incompletion on being an indie music fan.

***

The reincarnated Watchmen are playing the MTS Centre on October 30th, part of Power 97's Super Powerball Extravaganza. Tickets are only $14.97 for the first 1000 folks, then shoot up $5 after the first K are sold. Don't know when they're on sale.

>> Monday, 8 September 2008

I suspect you've probably seen this video clip countless times by now, but I figured it's worth posting it anyways. Yesterday, Noel from Oasis was assaulted by a crazed person (I originally wrote "fan" but he's clearly not) who somehow broke through lax security and pushed him from behind (at the 1:30 mark).

I admit the first couple times I watched it, I thought it was kinda funny; however, after viewing it more closely I realized just how serious the seemingly harmless push was: Noel really flies and lands hard. Apparently he was hospitalized earlier today for possible ligament damage and a suspected fractured rib. Poor guy. Major props to the band (more specifically Noel) for finishing off the set.

Let's hope this sorta thing doesn't become a recurring motif at shows.

***

Vancouver's ARCTIC are the Cavern on both September 27th and October 18th (thanks to Kirsten for the heads up).

>> Friday, 5 September 2008

Went to The Forks birthday bash earlier and saw Nathan, The WSO, then The WSO w/ Nathan. It was uncomfortably chilly and I cursed in frustration over failing to bring mini gloves and/or my flask.

Nathan were their typical winsome, folky selves ripping through a spirited thirty minute set of material spanning their discography.

The WSO were surprisingly awesome - I didn't know what to expect - playing to the crowd (and me!) with some pop culture material (Pirates of the Caribbean and Indy Jones scores), working with an aerialist who contorted her body in astonishing ways I don't think I've ever before seen, playing some of the classics (Beethoven's 5th and The 1812 Overture) before collaborating with Nathan toward the end.

Oh, and the cupcakes were great: moist and chocolaty with decadent chocolate frosting.

>> Thursday, 4 September 2008

Shows keep materializing left, right, under, and all over the city - I can barely keep up.

Much-loved Juno winners Nathan are performing tomorrow with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as part of the Forks' huge-ass 20th birthday party. Other local acts on the bill include Christine Fellows and The Western States. And if free concerts aren't enticing enough for you to get your butts down to the Forks, party, and enjoy the last vestiges of summer, there's free cupcakes if you show up early!! And rumour has it, they might even be frosted!

The Greg Milka Crowe Band will be ska'ing it up at the King's Head on September 27th, playing their first-ever three-set gig.Matt White is at the Park Theatre on September 28th.

>> Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Veteran singer-songwriter Buffy St. Marie is playing the Pantages with Richard Havens on November 7th. Presale starts tomorrow @ 10 via ticketmaster; password is trail.

Hayes Carll is at the Park Theatre on Halloween. Presale starts tomorrow @ 10 through ticketmaster; password is trouble.

British metal band DragonForce are at the Burt on December 13th. Tix on sale Friday.

Vancouver indie-poppers The Neins Circa play the Lo Pub on October 16th. I caught these charming lads (and lady) a couple years back during their opening gig for A.C. Newman and their pop-rock vibe was fun and engaging. If you're not hitting Neil Young, this is a decent $10 max alternative.

>> Monday, 1 September 2008

Welcome to the inaugural appearance of what I hope’ll be a new monthly blog feature: an essay-type post dedicated to the new and noteworthy music additions to my ever-expanding sonic palette.

Being a rabid Stereolab fan – I even drove to Minneapolis a couple years back just to catch them live – means I had to pick up Chemical Chords on the day it was released. The album probably won’t bring about any new Stereolab converts, but its content will easily satiate fans of this progressive French group. It’s fun, catchy, and has that Stereolab anachronistic vibe that evokes a strange feeling of familiarity while simultaneously sounding years ahead of contemporary pop music. However, a few post backs I mistakenly said this was my pick-of-the-month (insert guitar pick here), but at the risk of losing whatever self-appointed credibility I have, I need to renege that.

Cuz you see, I was on holidays for the last week of the month, and all my gloriously unstructured free time enabled me to seek out music I missed, forgotten about, or simply didn’t have time for.

This is how I heard Bloc Party’s Intimacy, and it turned out to be a kick-ass rocker of an album. Reportedly about lead singer Kele’s indelible, life-altering breakup (aren’t they all?), this disc doesn't exactly pave new conceptual ground, but at least the music itself is more diverse and, well, aggressive than past outings.

Both She & Him and Wye Oak qualify under the category of “Musicians Defying My Initial Prejudices.” Wye Oak look astonishingly young in their press photos, yet have a precocious, shoe-gazing sound reminiscent of indie-rock vets Yo La Tengo. She & Him – Him being accomplished singer/songwriter M. Ward & She being noted actress Zooey Deschanel – pay homage to innocuous 60s AM radio pop with their bare-bones, palatable first release. Deschanel’s voice is wonderful and powerful like Neko Case’s and while it lacks Case’s range it is still pleasing to the ear. Chalk one up for actor/actresses-turned-musicians who are actually talented side.

Which bring me to the final, most welcomed edition to my musical diet: Goldfrapp’s Seventh Tree. Goldfrapp is a band I’m embarrassingly unfamiliar with which actually turned out to be a good thing, since I held zero preconceptions and expectations heading into my first ever listen. And I gotta tell you: a sublime musical experience took place. Somehow, this album was exactly what I had been craving all month without me even knowing it!!

I was immediately seduced by Alison Goldfrapp’s sultry, smoky vocals and Will Gregory’s spellcaster construction of the minimalist, ethereal soundscapes that are both fresh and accessible. Each listen of this record unearthed hidden depths I previously missed, and I became ensconced in Seventh Tree, playing it over and over again.

There’s even one of those rare songs on Seventh Tree “A & E” - a track that filled me with such intense joy that this happiness bubbled over into incredulous laughter and disbelief as I asked myself “How could something possibly be this good?” I never did figure out the answer to that elusive question, and I suspect that even if I had, it’d be ineffable anyways.

I’ve posted the video for “A & E” below. The sound quality isn’t as crisp as it needs to be, but the song is still enjoyable in this format. Please heed this warning though: the sylvan creatures dancing around Alison are kinda fun-scary and will probably make at least a cameo in your dreams.